Care Sheet for ScorpionsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 2.67 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 08/03/2006 |
Main Category: | Non-Reptile/Amphibian |
Sub Category: | Scorpions |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Anonymous |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Emperor Scorpion |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | N/A |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Flip the scorp on its back and look on it for comb-like appendages. These are called pectines. In males, these will be larger. Also, females tend to be larger. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Peat moss, or possibly a mix of peat moss and potting soil. |
Lighting and UVB: | None required. A blacklight will not harm them and it will make them glow a weird color. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Keep the temp around 80*, and the humidity around 75%. these should be a bit higher if you are trying to get a pair to mate, and the humidity should be raised if your scorp is molting. |
Heating and Equipment: | A heating mat should be used that covers about 1/3 of the tank. It should be placed on the side of the tank, and if it is not as tall as the tank, put it as far as possible from the bottom of the tank, as scorpions will burrow in order to keep cool. A thermometer and a humidity guage should be placed on the warm side of the tank. Mist daily with a spray bottle. |
Caging Provided: | A 10 gallon tank will house 1 emp
A 15 gallon tank will house 2 emps
A 30 gallon tank will house 3-5 emps
**NOTE**Always have a few more hiding spots than you do scorps to ensure they don’t fight for a spot. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Crickets, wax worms, meal worms, super worms, locusts, and the occasional grasshopper, or if full grown, a pinkie (baby) mouse here and there wont hurt either. **I FEED THEM NOTHING BUT LIVE FOOD AS MOST WONT EAT ANYTHING THAT IS DEAD** |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Some people dust the scorps food with calcium, protein, or vitamin dust. I only do this when they are gravid(pregnant) or molting, due to the cost of these supplements. However,if money is not too big an issue for you, I highly recommend using these supplements. Nothing but good can come of their use. I just can’t afford it lol. |
Maintenance: | They are fairly low maintenance and as long as you feed them every other day and keep their temp and humidity monitored, they will do pretty good. |
Some Words on this Species: | These are probably the best scorpion for someone who has never owned one before. They are very easy to care for, and their venom is very mild (nobody has ever died from an emperor scorpion sting and pretty much the worst thing that could happen is it swells up and hurts for about 5-10 minutes), i have never been stung, and a lot of emps go their whole lives without ever using their stingers. You really have to watch their pedipalps(claws), which can draw blood. For a scorpion, they are very docile(actually they are rather timid).Some people regularly hold their emps, which is rather stupid if you ask me, because it stresses them out and eventually can be the cause of their death. They are fairly cheap(available at pet shops for about $15) and live a long time(3-5 year, though most are a few years old when you get them.). They are the easiest thing in the world to breed and sometimes will be gravid(pregnant) when you get them. they will mate in healthy conditions more often by accident than on purpose. They do a small mating ritual called a promenade a deux. In this dance, they grab each other by the pedipalps(claws) and the male will guide the female to a flat spot and deposit a block of spermatophore, which she will them pick up, and viola! your scorp is pregnant! Gestation usually takes from 6-9 months and the newborns are called scorplings. The mother will care for them into the first molt, and will typically eat a few. Sometimes, they will get eaten by tank mates when mom is too tired to care for them. Typically, after their first molt they will go their separate ways, but are known to form small packs occasionally. The mother might not recognize them as her babies after a while and she may try to attack them. Emperor scorpions are usually black but can be a darker green or blue color. My first emperor scorpion was a blue one who i promptly named sweet pea. I got her when i was thirteen and i have to say, i fell in love with them. |
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